Chennai: In a bid to reform the State’s healthcare services, Tamilnadu Health and Family Welfare Minister C Vijayabaskar made 108 announcements in the Assembly session Monday.
One of the key developments is the establishment of pain and palliative care units in 16 Government Medical College Hospitals at a cost of Rs 2.55 crore.
The other announcements include strengthening of the Tamilnadu Accident and Emergency Initiative (TAEI) by providing additional equipment to the Paediatric Resuscitation and Emergency Management Units (PREM) in 10 Government Medical College Hospitals and transport ventilators to 11 Government Medical College Hospitals will be provided at a cost of Rs 1.74 crore. There is also a mention of providing a portable CT Scan for the trauma ward under TAEI programme to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital at Rs 7 crore.
The Health Department has announced of providing medical equipment to emergency rooms of government hospital in Papanasam under TAEI programme. Further, the emergency ambulance services will be strengthened with additional 121 new basic life support vehicles.
To boost the mental health services, the Minister announced of setting up of a centre of excellence at the Institute of Mental Health, Chennai at Rs 25.41 crore.
In the medicine supply and drugs sector, barcoding of drugs to enhance supply chain management across all government hospitals to be carried out by the Tamilnadu Medical Services Corporation at a cost of Rs 64 lakh and an establishment of a world-class drugs testing laboratory in Madurai at the cost of Rs 20 crore.
As a new initiative, Inter Facility Transfer (IFT) system will be implemented across the State with 120 Adult Retrieval Vehicles (ARV) for the transportation of critically ill patients from Government Hospitals to tertiary care hospitals at a cost of Rs 19.20 crore.
Similar to parent-teachers associations in State-run schools, a hospital development committee will be established in all government hospitals. The committee will function as a bridge between the hospital and the people of the region and will be responsible for reaching all the government schemes to the public, redressel of the grievances of the patients and for the upgradation of the hospital, said the Minister.

